How to Utilize Pinterest to Drive Sales

Pinterest has a reputation of being a place for women who want to plan their wedding and find new recipes to try. This is a huge misconception. With over 100 million active users, Pinterest is actually a thriving community for both men and women to enjoy various subjects, from cars to fashion trends. Pinterest is also a great place for businesses to promote their products. Users spend 50 dollars on average when making a purchase through the social media site. That is more purchasing power than any other social media account out there! Companies who know their audience and have amazing content to share would do nothing but benefit from using Pinterest. Here are a few tips to get started on Pinterest, and how you can use the social media outlet to its fullest.

1. Setting up an account for your business

If you don’t already have one, setting up an account for your business is slightly different than creating your own personal one. First step is to enter your information (company name, company email address, business type, etc.) on Pinterest’s account registration page. If you feel as though the content on your personal account goes well with your business, then you can convert your personal account to a business account by going to the “Pinterest for Business” button on your page and clicking “Convert Now”.

2. Complete your profile

After setting up your account, it is important that you tailor it properly to showcase your business positively and get users interested in your company. Upload a recent logo or headshot, create a username and bio (complete with keywords to make finding your business easier) and add your location and website. When adding your website, it is important to have it verified to prove that it is a trustworthy source for people to order products from. You can learn how to verify your website here.

3. Utilize Rich Pins

Rich Pins are pins that include extra information on the pin itself. Rich pins fall into 6 categories: app, movie, recipe, article, product and place. With a rich pin, customers will be more informed and therefore more confident in making a purchase with your company. For example, if you are an online boutique and you are trying to sell a new dress, you can use the product rich pin to provide the availability, price and location of the dress for a customer to refer to when they want to make a purchase. By providing this information, customers can get the product they are interested in and be introduced to related products on your website.

4. Focus on photography

Pinterest, unlike other social media sites, focuses more on the content in a photo rather than the words in it. The more interesting and beautiful the photo, the more re-pins you receive – which can lead to an increase in sales. Here’s how to make sure you’re sharing photos that will get attention:

Save Face by Losing It

Studies have shown that images without faces receive 23% more repins than images with a person’s face do. If it is possible, crop out the model’s faces in a few product photos. This helps customers visualize themselves using your product.

Make Pictures Light and Bright

When it comes to Pinterest photos, avoid images that look dark or gloomy. Studies have shown that medium to light photos receive 20 times more repins than extremely dark images.

Height is Important

The height of a picture is equally as important as the content of the picture. Vertical images with an aspect ratio between 2:3 and 4:5 get 60% more repins than extremely tall images.

Color Scheme

In Pinterest, color is king. Pictures with multiple dominant colors get 3.25 times more repins than images with one dominant color. When choosing colors, look into selecting bright warm colors such as orange and red to gain more customer interest. Studies have shown that reddish orange images receive 200% more likes than images with cool colors such as blue or green.

5. Content marketing > Advertising

People come on Pinterest to be inspired, create wish lists and try new DIY projects. The last thing they want to see are advertisements telling them to buy a product. You will be able to gain a loyal following and more repins by providing tasteful photosets and well organized boards with interesting content that subtly advertises your product.

With this information you can successfully tackle this ever-growing website and use it to your benefit. Customers will be incredibly interested in the content you provide and will be more likely to purchase your product. Have fun!

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